(L-R) The top nuclear envoys of the U.S., South Korea and Japan meet in Seoul on June 21, 2021. (Photo: Yonhap)
The new U.S. special envoy for North Korea has offered to meet with officials from Pyongyang "anywhere, anytime, without preconditions."
Sung Kim made the remark while meeting with his South Korean and Japanese counterparts, Nok Kyu-duk and Takehiro Funakoshi, respectively, in Seoul.
This comes after North Korean leader Kim Jong-un last week called on his country to prepare for both "dialogue and confrontation" with the United States.
The Washington official expressed hope that North Korea will "respond positively to our outreach."
But he also stressed the Joe Biden administration will continue to implement U.N. Security Council resolutions against the reclusive state and urged other nations to do the same.
Earlier in the day, during bilateral talks with Noh, the U.S. envory reaffirmed Seoul and Washington's shared commitment to pursuing the complete denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula through diplomacy and dialogue.
Noh, meanwhile, said Seoul will continue to play a "necessary" role for the early resumption of negotiations with Pyongyang through coordination with Washington.
Noh later sat down with Funakoshi for a one-on -one, during which the two sides agreed that that bilateral and trilateral cooperation involving the U.S. is "essential" for regional peace and stability.
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